A British rocker and biker residing in Kyiv
Sean Carr, my guest for this week’s Word with…feature, does not actually require any introduction. Ditto with the venue where we met – the downstairs bar at the River Palace.
Sean was more than an hour late and I was bracing myself to listen to some acerbic comments – well deserving though – on Kyiv’s atrocious traffic as an excuse for his delay. Sean dispelled all those apprehensions and put me and my photographer at total ease by saying “Sorry mate, I fell asleep.”
My editor – generally abreast of events going on in Kyiv – had tipped me off that Sean was just about to release his latest album. So, that was the question I put to him first. “Yes, we will be releasing our latest album on this Thursday night July 5 here at the River Palace. Please do come and attend the concert. It starts at 8 pm.”
Sean, though clad in a mixture of rocker’s and biker’s paraphernalia and thus to some a bit intimidating, in presence and manners can be very disarming. “I am just a normal bloke,” he stated more than once. It is hard not to take warmly to that kind of self-depreciation. Sean, of course, is much more than a “normal bloke.” He is a very gifted, talented and intelligent individual. He is also a multilinguist. “Yes, I am pretty fluent in Spanish and French. And now, slowly though, learning Ukrainian.”
I asked Sean, while reassuring him that this Word with…feature is not a gossip column, to tell me something about his background. “I was born in Thorner, a very, very small village in West Yorkshire – just eight miles north-east of Leeds. My parents split up when I was a little kid and my dad won custody of me and relocated us to Spain where he started a small business. So, you see, I grew up and did my basic schooling in Spain. That is why I am fluent in Spanish.”
At what point did he get involved with rock’n’roll, I asked Sean. “A point came when I desperately wanted to continue my schooling in England. I was so insistent that eventually my dad gave in and we moved back to England. There in the sixth form I had my first taste of rock’n’roll and I am still in love with it.”
Sean is very articulate and pleasantly devoid of any monologist’s syndrome and hence our conversation progressed at a smooth and steady pace, touching upon varied topics. My photographer too seemed to be doing just fine, though initially he was a bit peeved when the security lads tried to deny him entry on account of his wearing short pants and sneakers. Sean ordered a round of drinks and spoke about his band. “We are five members. Me, my buddy Mike and three Ukrainian musicians. We have a small studio where we practice almost every day. I write all the lyrics and Mike sets them to music.” As a band, I wanted to know, have they been able to make a living on gigs and album sales. “Oh no, not yet. That would take a while longer. But we are certainly on the right track and we have some ideas. We are eventually bound to get there.”
Being the son-in-law of a well known – if not the best known – Ukrainian politician, does he find it at times a bit unsettling, I asked Sean. “Certain official functions can be a bit unnerving. But on a personal level, I have the best mother-in-law in the world. And she is very proud of me too. Of course there is no way I can match either her energy nor her ability to tackle twenty-five different items within the span of a minute. That way, we are very different. But there is plenty of common ground too.”
The avid biker that he is – Sean is the proud owner of a recently acquired brand-new Harly Davidson – we spoke about Ukrainian road conditions. “Oh, I really do want to do something about it. We need to create a movement; get everybody involved – from the police to the pedestrians. Besides, 2012 is not that far away. I just rode my bike through Poland, and they are already far ahead of us.”
In parting, Sean insisted that we keep in touch. As he put it “You know, I love to cook. I want you to come home and give your judgment on my culinary efforts. I also have some extra bikes. We could go for some short rides.”
Thanks Sean. I see a beautiful summer ahead of me.
